BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Correct; BUT, the snakes our swashbucklin' friend "INDy" so despised were of the REPTILIAN variety, whereas yjose "snakes" the infamous "Mr. Moh-ziz" loathed were of the "toid" rail-powered variety.........

Quick question:

Recalling now the "Eye-En-Dee's stub tracks at Chambers Street (Hudson Terminal) served today by the "E"; I've read much on the proposed "Second System" and wonder if these stub tracks were originally supposed to continue under the East River to Brooklyn (weren't these tracks to connect with Court Street?)

Just wondering.....

"NYO"

["INDEPENDENT SUBWAY SYSTEM"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Further:

IMHO, the "Em-tee-Yay" was foolish to NOT keep up/renovate the lower level of Bergen Street (IND), virtually abandoning it instead.

In case of "soivice" changes, re-routings, trackwork, etc, the lower level at this station could have easily been kept in "soivice"; again, as is the case with ongoingt "See-Bee-Tee-See" program, the "Em-Tee-Yay" seems to think little of having "backup" in ANY area.

Look at the now-gone lower level at 42nd Street (IND); this level should NOT have been abandoned; again, in case of "soivice" disruptions involving the downtown local track on the upper level, at least trains could be re-routed via this level, to bypass whatever issues were causing disruptions.

Of course, there WAS the issue of the old IND lower level blocking the extension of the #7 beyond TSQ to Hudson Yards.

And, regarding operation flexibility, recall, many eons ago, when the old South Ferry loop was "soived" by both 7th Avenue AND Lex trains (INCLUDING a shuttle)?

"NYO"

["DOWNTOWN TRAINS ONLY"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Detailed page (w/trackplans and photos) on the long-abandoned lower level at Bergen Street...........

www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/bergenst.html

["F"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Regarding the present two-track terminal at Chambers Street (IND)......

I wonder why this terminal was not built as a four-track facility; look at how many different routes once terminated there over the years; also, being adjacent to the H&M's massive Hudson Terminal, it would seem that the Chambers Street terminal would have had four tracks, perhaps with an island platform/wall platform configuration........

"NYO"

["INDEPENDENT SUBWAY SYSTEM"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Also now think had the SAS (some 70-odd years back) had been built, and then tied into the Dyre Avenue line, through service to Brooklyn would have then come about light-years prior to the 1957 connection to the "Eye-Are-Tee" mainlines.

Given that the Dyre Avenue line was built to handle the big MUs of the "Westchester", it would have made sense to have rapid transit trains of a larger dimension than the shorter, narrower "Eye-Are-Tee" cars running on the Dyre Avenue line.

Too, with the old express tracks still in place (at least initially) express subway service easily could have been instituted...........

"NYO"

["WHITE PLAINS LOCAL"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Interesting that, when you think of it, even many years before the Dyre Avenue shuttle was connected to the "Eye-Are-Tee" mainlines, how ONLY "Eye-Are-Tee" equipment was ever assigned to the line, even though it was originally operated as part of the "Eye-En-Dee", from the wooden ex-"Manhattan" elevated gate cars, to the steel "Hi-Vs", which were used until the connection to the "Eye-Are-Tee" mainline was completed in 1957..............

"NYO"

["DYRE AVENUE"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

If only.......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IND_Second_System

["AA"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

What is going on with the "Es-Eye-Are" these days; have more "Fordy-Fours" been replaced by the incoming "R-211s"?

STILL hard to believe that the "Fordy-Fours" have now been in service for longer than the venerable 1925 "Em-Eee 1s"............

"NYO"

['RIDE THE RAPID"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

I indeed look forward to hearing your "report" after your visit to the "Isle Of Staten"!

From nycsubway.org photos on the "Es-Eye-Are", the only things I recognize at the "Es-Eye-Are" concourse at St. George are the old ticket booths (I believe one is still in use for Metrocards (or whatever they use these days)

Last time I took a jaunt to Tottenville was back in 1987; there you could still see the decaying remains of the old ferry slip, even though the wooden ferry house had burned down many years before (the ferry, which I clearly recall, shut down in late 1963)

IMHO, the concourse at St. George looks far too "sterile" and barren, like an operating room or a morgue; Your's Truly goes back to the days of chalkboard train indicators and ticket-chopper boxes.........aaahhh, the memories!

"NYO"

["RIDE THE RAPID"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

What were they thinking?

STILL cannot fathom WHY, given the "commuter" genre of the SIR, WHY they did not retain the type of seating used on the "Fordy-Fours", in the "R-211s"?

Recalling now the "R-27"/"R-30" with their "Eye-Are-Tee" type seating........

"NYO"

["QT"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Just "hoid"...........

Today, the "foist" train of "R-211s" made a premier run between St. George and Tottenville, the "foist" new cars on the "Isle Of Staten" in over 50 years; these new trains will eventually replace the veteran "R-44s", which have been in "soivice" since 1973.

Twenty of the seventy-five new cars will be of the "open gangway" type.

Why the destination signs are so miniscule is beyond me; didn't the "Em-Tee-Yay" learn their lesson when they rehabbed the "Brightliners" and the "Brightliner Wannabes" ("R-38s"), back in the 80s

Well, good luck to the new rolling stock.......

"NYO"

["TOTTENVILLE"]

[Cyberider]

I've never been to Staten Island so have never ridden the SIR. However, going by what they looked and sounded like, I'd take the original SIR cars over the 44's or 211's if I had a choice. I think they were mechanically similar to the R1/9's (or was it the BMT Standards?) so they probably sounded as good as they looked. The 44's were kind of nondescript in my opinion and I'm too old and set in my ways to admit to liking the 211's but I suppose there are some younger people who are excited about their arrival.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"R-211" SIR debut on 1010 WINS (Tuesday)........

Much was made on how these trains are the first new cars on Staten Island since the "R-44s" replaced the ancient "ME-1s" in 1973.

It is also obvious, from what Janno Lieber was saying, that these new trains will be "fully compatible" with the new signalling system being installed, which "......will allow more trains to run closer together......."

Now.....are they going to adapt the old B&O position light signals to utilize 'See-Bee-Tee-See" technology, or simply replace them altogether?

Recall, at least prior to the 1946 St. George terminal fire, the "Rapid" was utilizing semaphores...........

"NYO"

["GREAT KILLS EXPRESS"]